Massachusetts Education Board Chair To Serve On National Panel Focused on NCLB

Alexandria, VA - Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Chair Maura Banta of Melrose has been named to a national panel responsible for keeping Congress and the Obama Administration informed about the education priorities of state boards of education.

The 18-member Governmental Affairs Committee was selected by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). While serving on the committee, Banta will meet with other state education leaders, national policymakers, federal lawmakers, and education reform experts this year to share her state's experiences and perspective, analyze federal education initiatives, promote state board of education priorities, and serve as a state education resource to congressional offices and staff.

"I am honored to have this opportunity to play a national role in the development of education policy and practice," Banta said. "I am eager to learn from and collaborate with my peers from around the country as we work with education officials in Washington, D.C. to help influence the development of the Obama Administration's first round of education policy."

Banta was named to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in June, 2008 and appointed as chair in July.

The Governmental Affairs Committee helps state board members understand, influence, and plan for federal education policies. In its efforts to affect national education policymaking, NASBE works to ensure that it represents the views of its members to the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, as well as to national associations representing governors, state legislators, school administrators, principals, local school boards, teachers, and parents.

"State boards of education possess first-hand knowledge about the real world opportunities and challenges of implementing No Child Left Behind at the state level," said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director. "Individually and collectively through the work of the 2009 NASBE Governmental Affairs Committee we seek to inform Congress, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and other Obama Administration officials about how to refine federal education policies to best serve each state and benefit all students."